In the future, people spen their days in virtual reality Kagome is no different. After joining an online adverture game, she is given a questfind the Shikon no Tama. A demon ends up joining her, which is a good thing because the quest turns out to be

Inuyasha stared at the black screen in front of him. He had died. He had actually died. Two and a half years of playing the game had finally resulted in his death, and he didn't even know what had killed him. All he could remember was a bright pink light and then blackness.

'I hope Kagome's alright,'

he thought, trying to see if he could get back into the game from the last place he had saved. He clicked on the link to the Ancient Worlds game, less than patiently waiting for it to load. He wanted to see if Kagome had survived the pink light, if she had somehow defeated Naraku. He prayed that she had as he tried to open up his game.

A message appeared in front of Inuyasha, causing him to blink a few times in surprise. 'Cannot open file. File no longer exists,' he repeated in his mind.

He growled. "What'd'ya mean, the file no longer exists!?" he shouted angrily, shaking his fist at the message. After a few seconds, he calmed down enough to try his backup file. He always saved everything on his hard drive, just in case.

The backup would have worked, if another message hadn't popped up saying he was blocked from the game... forever. 'Forever? How dare they!' He would never be able to log on again, never be able to see Kagome, hear her laugh, enjoy her smile and her hugs. He'd never be able to even give her a virtual kiss. Without her email address or any idea of what else she was in, he had no way of contacting her. 'Kagome...'

In a fit of rage, Inuyasha jerked off his VR helmet and stormed out of his room, slamming his door shut. He couldn't believe it. Kagome was probably gone from his life forever. He'd never be able to meet her in real life at any of the cafes or see what she actually looked like.

As he raged down the hallway, expression dark, he almost ran into someone. Of course, that only made him angrier.

"Well, little brother, I see you still cannot keep your temper under control," Sesshoumaru commented, a condescending smirk on his face.

"Now, what in the world could have happened to put you in such a state? Perhaps the girl you were with decided to take your sword?" he suggested, an all-knowing smirk on his face. 'Considering how powerful that sword was, this is probably the case. Even I would become angry is someone stole my sword from me.'

"No," younger male spat back in response, tone cold. "She would never do anything like that." 'I can't believe he could even suggest such a thing.'

Sesshoumaru shrugged, not caring that he had made the wrong observance. He hadn't really thought the miko had betrayed his younger brother anyway. She seemed too loyal for that. "Well then, what happened to stir you up so?"

"Stupid bastard Naraku tried to kill both of us. I ended up dying from some pink light while we were fighting," Inuyasha answered, voice still laced with fury. He really wanted to smash something. 'I still hate Naraku, but at least he's probably dead like me.'

"Is that all?" The elder brother sounded unimpressed, his hazel eyes showing nothing but calm interest. "Many people die during the game, but they simply log back on and go back to where they had last saved. Did you not save your game?" He couldn't help but wonder why his brother could not get back on the game. It was not a difficult matter.

He growled, violet eyes flashing with annoyance. "Yes, I did, but I can't get back on. The stupid Elven Council won't let me," he explained. "I can never play the game again. I have a lifetime ban." 'Which is completely unfair. The bastard Elves don't care what fair is though, so there's no way I'll ever get to play again.'

"What did you do to deserve that, little brother?" Sesshoumaru inquired, remaining calm. He saw no reason to become so overexcited, which was what his younger sibling had done. Remaining emotionless was usually the best course of action. 'I highly doubt he went around killing people. That's not his style. Besides, he was on a quest. Something extreme must have happened for the Elven Council to place such a ban on him.'

"I don't know, but the fucking bastards are going to pay!" Inuyasha responded vehemently, fire blazing in his purple eyes. "I won't take this from them, not after all the rest of the crap they've put Kagome and me through." He growled, which sounded pitiful compared to the growl he could do in the game. 'I miss Kagome,' he thought sadly. 'I really miss her.'

"Hm.... you could always plead your case to them, ask them to let you back on the game," the hazel-eyed man suggested, brushing some of his long black hair over his shoulder. "Although it would take them a few months to read and even to respond to your request."

The violet-eyed man simply grumbled, less than pleased with how things were going. "The stupid bastards could probably care less than I'm dead and can't get back on. They've been trying to force me out of the game since they gave me my quest and only a week to do it." He balled his fist and punched the wall, listening to the self-satisfying thud that resulted. 'I feel a little better now, at least.'

"Only a week? Well then... perhaps you are right," Sesshoumaru conceded. "Although I never thought they would be so blatantly unfair." He shrugged. "Very well then. There is nothing I can do." He turned and began to walk.

"Wait!" Inuyasha shouted, a small seed of hope forming in his chest. "Can you do me a favor?"

The older brother blinked, contemplating how he wished to answer the question. "It depends on what it is."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Yes, I suppose," he answered. "As long as it does not take up too much of my time."

"Well, Kami help me if I take more than two seconds of Lord Sesshoumaru's precious time," Inuyasha retorted sarcastically.

"Do you wish my help or not?" the elder man asked, raising an eyebrow. While he was willing to help, he did not feel like putting up with his brother's sarcasm.

The violet-eyed man nodded. "Yes."

"So, now. Who do I need to give this message to?" Sesshoumaru wanted to know.

"Kagome," Inuyasha stated.

The taller male raised an eyebrow. "And how am I supposed to know who that is?"

"Do you remember the girl who was with me at your castle?" Inuyasha inquired, earning a nod in response. "That's Kagome, and I here's want you to tell her..."

Kagome sniffled quietly as she followed the fairy out of the palace and into the countryside. Night had fallen in the game, just like in the real world, but she didn't really care about that. She merely wanted to talk to Inuyasha again, to hear his voice. 'I miss him so much,' she thought to herself as a tear trickled down her cheek. 'I can't believe he's dead.' She wrapped her arms around herself as she continued to walk, her mind still bogged down with sadness. More than anything else, she simply wanted to see the man she loved again, even if it was only for a few minutes. 'At least I'll be able to give the Elves a piece of my mind,' she thought, trying to cheer herself up a tiny bit. She failed.

"Here." The fairy pointed to an oak doorway in the middle of nowhere. "The Elven Council is on the other side waiting for you."

"They'd better be," Kagome muttered, grabbing the door handle and pulling. The instant she opened the door, a great blackness pulled her inside. Then, the oak door promptly closed and disappeared.

Urd sighed softly. "It's so sad that he died," she commented. "Why did he have to die? Do you know, Verdandi?"

The blond woman shook her head, blue eyes dull. "I don't know. You'll have to ask Skuld to find out that bit of information. I know it's probably important to the future, but I just can't see it... not like she can."

"She's in charge of the future, so of course she can see it," the silver-haired woman commented. "But I hope that Kagome and Inuyasha somehow see each other again. After all the work we did, they should stay together."

Verdandi shrugged. "I don't know what's going to happen, but I do share your hopes. I believe Kagome and Inuyasha are perfect for each other; they just have to fully realize it."

Urd gently touched the surface of the reflecting pool, changing the image to a large room filled with candlelight. "May everything come out all right," she prayed as she zoomed in one particular person in the scene--a black-haired miko.

The blonde placed a hand on Urd's shoulder. "I think it will be."

"Session 2239 of the Elven Council will now come into session," said an old man with pointed ears, gray hair, and dark eyes. He wore a brown and green male-style kimono that looked more black than anything in the candlelight. "Everyone, take your seats."

Twenty other people, who had previously been milling around the room, chatting, sat down in a long row of chairs that ran on either side of the old man. The talking immediately ceased, and every single person turned attentive eyes to the man in brown and green.

"For the first item of business, I believe we have to deal out a reward for a completed quest," the old man stated. "Kagome, if you will please come forward."

Kagome stepped out of the corner of the room, the Shikon no Tama held tightly in her hands. "So you're the Elven Council?" she inquired, a dangerous look in her brown eyes.

"Yes," one of the members answered, his blue eyes curious. "Do you have something to say to us?"

"I do." She took a few more steps forward, glaring at each and ever member of the Council. "Why did you give me and Inuyasha so much crap?! Why did you give him only a week to complete his quest? Why did you change the time limit on mine? Why did you give me a quest when I was still a newbie? Why were so many AIs sent our way? Why were we put through so much? Why is Inuyasha dead?! WHY?!" She stomped her foot as tears threatened to reform in her eyes.

The Council members began muttering amongst themselves, almost as if they didn't know the answer to all her questions. After a few moments, the old man in the center silenced them.

"Now, Kagome, we cannot answer all of your questions, mainly because we don't know the answer to all of them, but I can tell you why Inuyasha is dead," he began, clasping his hands in his lap. "When you touched the Shikon no Tama, it reacted to the fact that you were a miko. It sent out a wave of power that went one mile, destroying every demon it touched. This is one of the reasons Naraku died. It is also the reason Inuyasha died. He was inside the one-mile radius of power."

"So... I killed him?" the miko inquired, eyes filling up with tears.

"Yes and no. When you touched the jewel you set it off, but it was the jewel itself that killed him," the old man answered. "If you hadn't used the Shikon no Tama, then Naraku would have definitely killed him. No matter what, Inuyasha would have died."

"Why was Naraku inside the game? Whey hadn't you gotten rid of him earlier? Surely you could've," Kagome protested vehemently. "You run the game! You control everything. There must have been something you could have done!"

He shook his head. "No. Naraku's hacking powers gave him abilities that kept us from touching him; however, he never anticipated the Shikon, so he had no defense to it."

"And why don't you know the answers to my other questions? You guys are the creeps that did everything to us!" She growled at him in a perfect imitation of Inuyasha.

"Because we received our orders from someone else," the old man answered.

The miko sighed sadly. "So, everything was out of your hands?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"And... there was nothing I could have done to save Inuyasha?" she wanted to know.

"Nothing," he assured her, voice kind.

Kagome looked down at the jewel in her hands for a moment. 'This is what killed him,' she thought, suddenly hating the object. She went over to the old man and gave the Shikon no Tama to him. "Here. You can keep it. I don't want it."

Then, she spun around and began to walk away. She saw no reason to stick around the Elven Council for any longer.

"Wait!" someone called after her.

Kagome turned around to see one of the council members standing up. It was a woman with long black hair and brown eyes. "You're forgetting your reward, and I'm pretty sure you'll want it. Trust me. I would want it if I was in your shoes." She smiled.

"You're welcome, and if your wish is not granted in twenty-four hours, send me an email. I'll kick any lazy butts and give them a stern talking to," Midoriko promised. "Now, go on and have some fun. The door behind you will take you to Sesshoumaru's territory, just in case you wanted to know."

The miko nodded. "Alright. And thank you again." So, smiling, she opened the door and was once again pulled through the gateway by a mass of blackness.

Kagome found herself right outside Sesshoumaru's castle, but she didn't see Sesshoumaru. So, she saved her game and logged off for the night. 'I can talk to him in the morning and have him tell Inuyasha about my wish.'

Then, she used the bathroom, changed into her pajamas, and went to bed.

Inuyasha yawned as he woke up, stretching his arms over his head. The sun had just risen, sending sunbeams playing across his room. It was quiet, but he could hear a door open and close just down the hall. Sesshoumaru was awake.

Still a little tired, Inuyasha looked up at the ceiling. "House, I'd like a ham and cheese omelet and a glass of orange juice please."

After two minutes, a small 'bot wheeled in and delivered the meal. Inuyasha ate his eggs halfheartedly. He still missed Kagome, and he just didn't feel the same without being able to see her everyday. Of course, if Sesshoumaru gave her his message, then everything would turn out just fine.

So, he finished off his juice, watched the robot take everything away, and then logged onto the internet and did a search for a new game to play.

As soon as Kagome woke up, she threw on some clothes, gobbled down her breakfast, and hurriedly logged onto the Ancient Worlds game. In no time at all, she was looking back up at Sesshoumaru's castle, praying that he was actually there.

"Sesshoumaru!" she called out, hoping he was there. No answer came, so she just sat down at the base of the wall and waited. Considering her level of anticipation, she could only wait about five minutes before she shouted again. "Sesshoumaru! Are you there?!" 'Please, please, please say he's going to log on today,' she begged the gods and goddesses of ancient Japan.

Still, there was no response, so she waited a little bit longer. Every five minutes she called out Sesshoumaru's name, hoping he'd hear her. After about half an hour, she heard a response.

"Yes? What do you want?" a masculine voice called back. It was Sesshoumaru.

Kagome stood up, a large smile on her face. "I want to talk to you about Inuyasha." 'My day is finally starting to look up.'

The taiyoukai blinked in surprise. "Interesting. I have a message for you from him," he replied. "The door is on the other side. Use it."

The miko nodded and did as he ordered, running practically the entire way to the door. Once inside, she immediately found Sesshoumaru standing nearby, arms crossed.

"I will give you the message, and then you may speak," he stated. "Inuyasha wants you to know that his email address is Inuyasha at demon mail dot com. He wants to talk to you as soon as possible, and he misses you."

Kagome smiled as she quickly memorized the email address. It wasn't that hard to remember. "Alright, and I have a message for Inuyasha. My reward for completing the quest was a wish, and I wished for Inuyasha to be brought back to life and to be by my side. The Elven Council granted it."

Sesshoumaru stared down at her. "Why do you not simply email him and tell him yourself?" he wanted to know, raising an eyebrow.

"OH!" She brought a hand up to one of her cheeks. "You're right!" She laughed at her own silliness. "I'll do that. Thank you, Sesshoumaru!" Then, she ran out of the castle and logged off.

Once outside of the game, Kagome opened up her email account and quickly composed a message to Inuyasha.

Dear Inuyasha,

I have good news for you. The Elven Council said they'd grant me a wish for completing the quest, and I wished for you to be brought back to life. My wish should be granted by the end of today. We'll be able to see each other again.

I did get your message from Sesshoumaru, as you've probably realized, and I want you to know that I miss you too. I can't wait to see you and talk to you again.

Love,

Kagome

Kagome sent the message to him, and in five minutes, she had an answer.

Dear Kagome,

I can't believe you used your wish to bring me back to life in the game. I don't know what to say other than thank you.

I also want to talk to you, but I'd rather do it face to face. Can you meet me in the Rose Cafe today?

Love,

Inuyasha

Kagome giggled, clapping her hands. She couldn't believe it. The Rose Cafe was the one in her town, and it would take her only ten minutes to get there.

Of course, she hadn't missed the 'Love, Inuyasha' at the end, which either meant that he most definitely cared about her or he had simply copied her letter format. Since she doubted the latter, she went with the former option. Besides, she believed that Inuyasha did care about her. After all, he had said that he missed her. She just didn't know how much he cared about her.

So, with many happy thoughts on her mind, which happened to all be about Inuyasha, she typed a response.

Dear Inuyasha,

I'd love to meet you there. How does nine o'clock sound? That'd give us both half an hour to get there.

Love,

Kagome

Within a minute, she received a response.

Dear Kagome,

Nine sounds great. I'll be there.

Love,

Inuyasha

Kagome, of course, quickly logged off of the internet, took off her VR helmet, and quickly set about getting ready. She wanted to look nice for Inuyasha.

She changed into a black pair of pants and a forest green v-neck shirt. Then, she brushed her hair, washed her face, and brushed her teeth. After pulling on her socks and shoes, she called out to the house.

"House, I need a 'bot to take me to the Rose Cafe," she stated.

"One will be sent to you in a moment," the house replied in its genderless, soothing voice.

Kagome only had to wait a full minute for a small robot to appear. "Let's get going," she declared, and the 'bot began to lead the way. She followed it out of her room, down the hall, into the kitchen, and out the door.

She smiled and deeply breathed in the fresh air. It felt so nice outside and she was so excited that she couldn't help but skip for a few moments. 'I'm going to see Inuyasha... the real Inuyasha!' she thought happily. 'I can't wait!'

Her mind on Inuyasha, Kagome continued to walk behind the robot, and soon she arrived at the cafe. She went inside, the 'bot at her heels.

The inside of the cafe was bright and cheery. About twenty tables stood on a simple cream and blue tile floor, and four chairs sat around each table. Along one wall was a counter with different rolls and drinks displayed in a glass case. A man stood behind the counter, his dirty blond hair tousled and his green eyes observant.

Kagome chose to sit at one of the tables near the door, feeling rather anxious. It wasn't quite nine yet; the clock on the wall read ten till nine. She didn't want to wait any longer, and every second that ticked by felt like an eternity to her. 'I want to see Inuyasha now,' she thought with a mental sigh.

At two minutes till nine, a man walked into the cafe. His black hair fell to his waist and violet eyes stared out of a handsome, familiar face. He was dressed in loose black pants and a red shirt. The instant his eyes landed on the raven-haired girl, he smiled. "Hi, Kagome."

"Inuyasha?" she asked, although she already knew the answer.

He nodded. "Yeah. It's me. Good to see you."

Kagome, of course, did better than merely greet him. She stood up and flung her arms around him in a tight hug, pressing her face into the crook of his neck.

Inuyasha returned the hug, wrapping his arms around her waist and simply enjoying the feel of her. 'I've never felt anything so good,' he thought, nuzzling his nose into her hair.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, simply enjoying each other's company. Finally, Kagome broke the embrace, pulling away from Inuyasha and smiling at him. "Do you want to sit down and talk for a while?"

"Sounds good," he answered, returning her smile.

They sat down, and he took her hand in his, wanting to keep contact with her for the simple reason that he enjoyed her touch. They were both quiet for a moment or two, mainly because both were trying to think of a way to start out their conversation.

"You should already know that I missed you." He paused. "But why did you use your wish to bring me back to life. Surely you could have thought of something else to use it for."

She shook her head. "No, I couldn't have." She gave his hand a squeeze. "You are more important to me than anything else."

Inuyasha returned the gesture, a slight blush staining his cheeks. "Thank you."

"No thanks are needed," Kagome replied with a smile. "I was happy to do it."

The black-haired man suddenly licked his lips, his expression nervous. "The reason I wanted to meet you here was because I have something important to tell you," he informed her, his violet eyes not leaving her brown ones for a moment.

Her heart caught in her throat, and she felt her breathing practically stop as she waited for him to continue. 'What is he going to say? Why am I so anxious all of a sudden?'

Inuyasha gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "I love you, Kagome."

Kagome smiled and kissed him back. "I love you, too, Inuyasha."

"Awww!" Verdandi smiled at the sweet display of affection between Kagome and Inuyasha. "I don't think I've ever seen anything so cute."

"It seems that everything did turn out alright. We definitely achieved our objective," Urd stated, touching the image of Kagome and Inuyasha in the cafe, making it disappear. "I'm happy for them both, although there were times I thought we would fail."

"You mean that you doubted my word?!" Skuld exclaimed as she came into the room, pretending to sound appalled. "How could you? My own sisters!"

The blonde laughed. "You are strange sometimes, Skuld."

The black-haired woman grinned. "Of course I am. Life wouldn't be the same if I wasn't."

Urd, of course, decided it was time to get back to business. "Have you figured out who the next two people we need to concentrate on are?" she inquired, tone curious.

Skuld nodded and touched the reflecting pool twice, causing two different images to appear. One was of a brown-eyed woman, her black hair in a high ponytail. She was dressed in a black suit that proclaimed her as a youkai hunter. She stood near Cleopatra's throne, a young boy nearby.

The other image was of a man with dark blue eyes, his black hair in a small ponytail at the nape of his neck. He was dressed in black and purple priest clothes, a staff in one hand.

"The next two people for us to deal with are Sango and Miroku."

THE END

CotA: ::sighs sadly:: I'm kinda sad to see if go, but at least I added Sesshoumaru in there again. I hadn't exactly planned on it, but I figured, "hey, why not?"

Zebez: I don't see why you're so happy about having him in there again. It's not like he was a main character.

Sess-chan: Just wait until the third story.

Zebez: And why would I want to do that? Besides, I have more important things to do than read the stories you're in charge of. ::wraps his arms around CotA's waist from behind:: I have courting to do.

CotA: Sess-chan, Zebez, be nice... please. I just finished a story, so we should be celebrating, not fighting. ::sighs when Sess-chan and Zebez continue fighting:: ENOUGH!

Sess-chan and Zebez: ::go flying across the room::

Kali: 'About time you did that. They have been asking for it for a while.'

CotA: ::Sighs when the fighting resumes:: This is getting to be too much. ::looks at the boys:: Alright! Both of you get to spend the day in the Barbie room!

Sess-chan and Zebez: ::vanish::

CotA: Okay... while they're cooling down, I'm going to explain a few things. The three women were the norns from Norse mythology, which are the equivilant of the three fates. As for the sequel, I don't have a clue when it is going to come out, but it will be about eight chapters long, give or take a bit. If you want to know when I finally put it up, I can email you. Just tell me in a review that you want me to tell you when I update. Now, the review responses are below.

Juria-chan: Yes, he can die, but he can also come back to life. And the Elves aren't as stupid as you thought, huh? It was the norns doing everything.

InsanexPsycho: Ummm... are you okay? ::fans InsanexPsycho:: C'mon... wake up. I don't think it good to have my reviewers fainting.

HanyouBabe456: Yes, I am evil, and I'm darn proud of it.

DRAKE220: Why would the norns go down? They had good reason to do everything they did. Really.

samantha: I've read quite a bit by Tamora Pierce. She is one of my favorite authors.

shi no megumi: ::hands Shi no Megumi some tissues:: Dry your eyes. See? I made everything better. I always do. And about those dolls... ::laughs:: Those are such kawaii little dolls. Where did you get those? And there's no need to worship me. I'm not some goddess, even an authoress goddess. Trust me on this one. There are much better authors out there... like Sakura Onto Hitomi, moonsilver, and Striking Falcon. All three write Inuyasha fanfiction, and all have such great stories. ::smiles:: Check some of them out before you start praising me.

Purple Witchy Angel: Yes, I am mean. Yes, I am evil. No, I don't care. But honestly, you should know me well enough by now to know that I wouldn't end a story in a depressing way.

Angel's ghost: Yes, I am a Tamora Pierce fan. I love her books so much.

linear: It wasn't Kikyou that surprised them.

Jupiter's Light: Thank you for the compliments, and I hope this chappie met your expectations.

sashlea: Thanks for wondering about Sesshoumaru. It's because of that I added that scene between Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru.

Nicole: You were on the verge of tears? Geez. Now I feel bad. I don't like making my readers cry. But, at least the ending was happy, right?

eruinichil: Relax. Everything turned out fine. See?

Kim: Excellent job guessing that they were past, present, and future. I applaud you. And Inu had to die because... well... it made for an interesting ending to the chapter as well as added some drama. Besides, I had to give Kagome something to wish for.

meq: Inuyasha turned out to be just fine, so please don't throw any kind of fit. Please? I don't think I could deal with it.

inuyasha kagome2: Yes, Inuyasha died. It was only temporary though.

Xio the Dog Demoness: Strangely enough, killing off Inuyasha was relatively easy. I just had to separate my mind from my body and let my fingers go. The chappie turned out well enough, right? And I'm evil, so being cruel comes naturally.

Dragon Man 180: Yes, I am evil, and I'm rather proud of it.

Yanou: Thanks for not killing me for the ending. So many people got onto me for that, although I believe the worst insult I received was "meanie" and "you're evil." Not bad, huh?

evilfire4321: Yes, I made suspense. That's what good writers do sometimes. It keeps people interested in their stories.

SilentSlayer: Yes, that was cruel, and I was planning on killing him and bringing him back from the very beginning. I am sorry if I made you cry though.

Crispy Muffin: Yes, I've read some of your story. I've corrected some of it to. I'll send it to you in a bit.

Raining Fire: Relax. You should know me well enough to know that I never give a story a sad ending. Characters of mine have a habit of coming back to life.

Kitsune's Girl370: Why I did that? Hm... let's see here. I think it was because it helped the plot a little and made a nice little twist. ::shrugs:: That, and I had his death planned from the very beginning.

Footballchik21: Yes, a slight cliffie. And your guess was close. And the women are the norns.

Knight Star: I admit, it was a little sad. And the reason I updated so soon was because I was suddenly imspired. :shrugs:: It happens sometimes.

jdls: Yeah... I've been to lazy to sigh in quite a few times. ::shrugs:: It happens.

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.